UNITED NATIONS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday highlighted the current situation in India-held Kashmir on the first day of the UN General Assembly session attended by world leaders.

The Turkish leader called for the dispute’s resolution based on UN resolutions.

A presidential decree issued on Aug 5 revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution under which the Muslim-majority state was allowed to make its own laws except for defence, foreign affairs and communications and also barred non-residents from buying property there. Since then, the disputed Himalayan region has been under curfew, the internet has been shut down and political leaders have been detained.

“The stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue,” Mr Erdogan said in a strong speech to a packed hall.

“Despite the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council, Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are still stuck in Kashmir,” the Turkish president told the 193-member UN assembly.

“They [Kashmiri people] cannot get out,” he said, adding that it was an unresolved issue for the past 72 years. “For the Kashmiri people to look forward to a safe future with their Pakistani and Indian neighbours, it is imperative to solve this problem through dialogue on the basis of justice, and equality instead of conflict,” Erdogan said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2019